River Bovey
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The River Bovey rises on the eastern side of
Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous P ...
in
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, England, and is the largest tributary to the River Teign. The river has two main source streams, both rising within a mile of each other, either side of the B3212 road between
Moretonhampstead Moretonhampstead (anciently ''Moreton Hampstead'') is a market town, parish and ancient manor in Devon, situated on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor, within the Dartmoor National Park. The parish now includes the hamlet of Doccombe (), and ...
and Postbridge, before joining at Jurston. The river flows for about two miles northwards from source before turning to a generally south easterly direction. It passes the village of
North Bovey North Bovey is a village and civil parish situated on the south-eastern side of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England, about 11 miles WSW of the city of Exeter and 1.5 miles SSW of Moretonhampstead. The village lies above the eastern ...
, flows through the Lustleigh Cleave between the villages of
Manaton Manaton is a village situated to the southeast of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England. The 15th-century church, located in a prominent spot due north of the village green, is dedicated to Winefride, St Winifred. Three of the six bells in its ...
and
Lustleigh Lustleigh is a small village and civil parish nestled in the Wrey Valley, inside the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. It is between the towns of Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead. The village is focused around the parish church of S ...
, and then through the town of
Bovey Tracey Bovey Tracey () is a small town and civil parish in Devon, England, on the edge of Dartmoor, its proximity to which gives rise to the "slogan" used on the town's boundary signs, "The Gateway to the Moor". It is often known locally as "Bovey". ...
. It joins the River Teign on the boundary between the parishes of Teigngrace and
Kingsteignton Kingsteignton ( ), is a town and civil parish in South Devon, England. It lies at the head of the Teign Estuary to the west of Teignmouth in the Teignbridge district. It is bypassed by the A380 and is also on the A383, A381, B3193 and B3195 ...
, about a mile south of the village of Chudleigh Knighton.


Catchment

The catchment of the river runs to the West at
Chagford Common Chagford is a market town and civil parish on the north-east edge of Dartmoor, in Devon, England, close to the River Teign and the A382, 4 miles (6 km) west of Moretonhampstead. The name is derived from ''chag'', meaning gorse or broom, ...
, past
Hookney Tor Hookney Tor is a tor, situated on Dartmoor in Devon, England. It lies on the Two Moors Way and remains of Headland Warren farm and Vitifer Mine are also in the valley nearby. Etymology Hookney Tor is named after the nearby settlement of Hook ...
, and the road from Fordgate to Hound Tor. To the South, the watershed is with the River Lemon and runs from Hemsworthy Gate to Haytor Rocks, past Brimley and to the North of
Stover Country Park Stover Country Park is an area of woodland park north of Newton Abbot in the parish of Teigngrace, Devon, within the former grounds of Stover, Teigngrace, Stover House. The reserve is in size, and is managed by Devon County Council. History ...
. The Eastern boundary runs between Chudleigh Knighton to
Doccombe Moretonhampstead (anciently ''Moreton Hampstead'') is a market town, parish and ancient manor in Devon, situated on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor, within the Dartmoor National Park. The parish now includes the hamlet of Doccombe (), a ...
, and in the North, is runs in a line from just outside Moretonhampstead to Meldon Hill, South of
Chagford Chagford is a market town and civil parish on the north-east edge of Dartmoor, in Devon, England, close to the River Teign and the A382, 4 miles (6 km) west of Moretonhampstead. The name is derived from ''chag'', meaning gorse or broom, and ...
.


Tributaries

There are two main tributaries, one being the Becka Brook, rising near Hound Tor, flowing through
Becky Falls Becky Falls, originally known as Becka Falls, is a tourist attraction in Dartmoor, England, centered on a waterfall of around 20 metres down a boulder-strewn bed. In addition to the waterfall as the centrepiece, there is a woodland park with f ...
, and joining the Bovey just below
Trendlebere Down Yarner Wood & Trendlebere Down in Dartmoor, Devon, England is a woodland managed by Natural England. The woodland is part of the East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths National Nature Reserve. The entire area is while Yarner Wood is . Since 1985 ...
. The second is the Wray Brook which starts North of Moretonhampstead, and joins the Bovey to the South of
Lustleigh Lustleigh is a small village and civil parish nestled in the Wrey Valley, inside the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. It is between the towns of Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead. The village is focused around the parish church of S ...
.


Naming influence

The river gives its name to the
Bovey Formation The Bovey Formation is a deposit of sands, clays and lignite, probably over 1000 feet thick. It lies in a sedimentary basin termed the Bovey Basin which extends from Bovey Tracey to Newton Abbot in South Devon, England. The Bovey Basin l ...
, a geological
sedimentary basin Sedimentary basins are region-scale depressions of the Earth's crust where subsidence has occurred and a thick sequence of sediments have accumulated to form a large three-dimensional body of sedimentary rock. They form when long-term subsiden ...
which is the major source in England for ball clay. The towns of
North Bovey North Bovey is a village and civil parish situated on the south-eastern side of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England, about 11 miles WSW of the city of Exeter and 1.5 miles SSW of Moretonhampstead. The village lies above the eastern ...
and
Bovey Tracey Bovey Tracey () is a small town and civil parish in Devon, England, on the edge of Dartmoor, its proximity to which gives rise to the "slogan" used on the town's boundary signs, "The Gateway to the Moor". It is often known locally as "Bovey". ...
both take their name from the river, as does
Bovey Castle Bovey Castle is a large early 20th-century mansion on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, near Moretonhampstead, Devon, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is now a hotel with 59 individually designed bedrooms in the hotel and 22 t ...
, a luxury hotel close to the river outside North Bovey.


References


External links


Environment Agency monitoring of river levels at Bovey Parke
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